Archive for May, 2004
This taking photographs is a tricky business when you don’t have time to take photographs. Busyness has abounded lately and despite favorable weather, taking photographs has taken a bit more of a back seat than it should have. The end result is that the course ends in two weeks and I don’t have anything near the required number of pictures.
The trip to Canada did yield a large batch but a depressing number of them turned out way too dark or way too light. One photo that was given a fourteen minute exposure managed to come out almost completely black. I have no idea how I would ever recreate a mistake like that again and yes - the lens cap was off.
I now have two weeks to get a portfolio of twenty different photos together if I am to pass this course. The photos all must fit into certain technical categories and unfortunately none of them are called things like ’squinted’, ‘poorly focussed’ or ‘underexposed’.
Must get clicking. In the mean-time, you may enjoy a picture of my dog which was taken on a digital camera and is therefore completely unsubmittable.
Arse.
May 27th, 2004
A wee while ago I mentioned some unmentionable good news. This good news has recently become mentionable which is good for me because a) it’s good news and b) it turns one blog post into two in a time when coming up with blog material feels like a chore.
The good news is that I’ve sold my flat. I wanted to wait until everything was contractually bound before blogging about it because selling that damned flat has been a nightmare and I didn’t want to place a hex on the thing.
Basically the building is slowly sinking into the ground and falling apart and anyone who expressed an interest was quickly chased off by grim-looking survey reports. Luckily one desperate buyer not only got a specialist survey report to assess the damage but also agreed to pay the costs of repairs without a reduction in price.
I would probably have taken half the asked amount just to get the thing off my hands.
So in three weeks time I’ll be a nice normal ‘one-mortgage’ person once again and all my financial fretting will be (temporarily, c’est la vie) put to rest.
Hurray for desperate Glasgow property markets!
Incidentally, in the space of one month, that sale has helped to push the cost of property in that crumbling building up by another ten grand. If you want to live in Glasgow, you’re gonna have to be rich.
May 25th, 2004
I’ve just spent a week in Canada and it was very nice thank you. Apart from one day in Toronto, the entire week was spent in the Niagara Falls area generally milling around and feeling chilled.
Here are some things I learned whilst in Canada, or about Canada.
Generally, Canadians are just like Americans, but without all that patriotic crap. They are also notably friendly and obsessively polite.
Toronto, being a big city, is exempt from this.
Niagara Falls is a big waterfall.
Anywhere there is tourists, there will be people trying to fleece the tourists. A meal for two in the revolving restaurant overlooking the falls will set you back $100, and they will still charge you for a ride in the elevator to get to the restaurant.
But apart from that, Canada is really cheap if you like shopping, especially for electronic goodies.
The Casino at Niagara Falls seems to accept only high-rollers at the roulette table. If you place ten dollars on the table and try to sit down, you will actually get laughed at. It’s very embarassing.
They put maple syrup on everything, and think ketchup on french toast is for crazy people.
Indian food has yet to hit the Niagara Falls area and as such the new ‘Guru’ Indian restaurant is probably the worst Indian restaurant in the world.
A trip to Toronto’s Chinatown is a good idea, but not if you’re hungry. Trying to walk out of a place that has put a dim sum sample of raw beef balls in front of you and has ‘Chicken feet’ on the menu is embarassing. The beef balls were recommended by a passing Canadian due to being ’something that won’t wriggle too much’.
In-car GPS satellite navigation is the best invention in the entire world ever. Even better than contact lenses, which are pretty amazing too when you think about it.
Driving on the right-hand side of the road is terrifying.
The River Cottage B&B in Niagara Falls is utterly fantastic, very reasonable and has very hospitable hosts.
Trying to pay for a B&B with a maxed-out credit card is extremely embarassing too. Always carry a spare.
A walk along the Niagara River gorge is very beautiful.
That’s about it I think. Summary: Holidays are good, work is rubbish. Hurray for holidays in Canada!
May 24th, 2004
I’m off to Canada.
So if you think I’ve been lazy with my posts recently, you’re gonna be disappointed for another week.
Hans, I owe you a pound. Pesky breedster.
Heh heh heh, he’ll never see that pound again… mutter mutter… Canadian exchange rate… mutter mutter… $2.35…. heh heh… rich, rich!..
May 13th, 2004
“Excuse me!”
If someone says that to you in a drunken, slurred voice the sensible thing to do is pretend you didn’t hear anything and keep walking. Unfortunately I caught him out of the corner of my eye and he looked like a workman working on the roadworks at the side of the road. My double take was enough to force me to stop and suddenly find myself talking to a drunken gentleman.
He had grubby trousers, workboots and a lumberjack shirt so he looked just like a workman. He also stank of booze, which seemed peculiarly unprofessional of him.
“See that yellow hosepipe?”
“Aye…”
“That’s the water for the workmen on the roof. I’m gonnae switch it aff!”
“Right…”
“See when they see that there’s nae water comin’ oot? They’ll be a’ like ‘Where the fuck’d the water go?’ Hahahaha!”
“Better no do that then!”
“Ah’m gonnae dae it anyway! This’ll be good craic!”
Then we went our separate ways as he moved on to explaining his plan to someone else.
May 5th, 2004
Yesterday I had much fun sliding down the stairs on my backside and shouting ‘wheeee!’. Kids are great, coz I’ve been looking for an excuse to do that for a while now. I recommend that you try it.
Meanwhile, Hans - did you get that egg yet?
May 3rd, 2004
